UFC 272: The Top Three Fights

UFC 272 may not have a title fight on its card, but that doesn’t mean that there will be a lack of excitement. There are a couple of fights that could turn out to be legendary bouts, including the headliner of the competition. Here we are going to take a deeper look at the three fights that are the highly anticipated ahead of the action.

Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal

The main event of the night pits Colby Covington against Jorge Masvidal. Both of these fighters have rose up to the top of the UFC welterweight division over the past few years. Covington is a younger prospect but a vastly improving star in the octagon. As for Masvidal, he is a veteran that turned his career around. Once a journeyman, Masvidal is now considered an MMA superstar. This fight means a lot for the rankings going forward, as each of these competitors were able to knock down the reigning champion of the division twice, Kamaru Usman. The loser of this fight could quickly slip out of the title conversation, so neither fighter is going to want to give up considering the stakes.

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev

There was a time that Rafel dos Anjos was one of the best lightweights in the entire world. It’s been a long time since that point, but he is still just as competitor as a fighter than ever before. He tried his hand in the welterweight division and made it into an interim title fight. However, he lost that fight and spiraled down to a 1-3 record in his next four to fall back down to lightweight. As for Rafael Fiziev, he lost in his UFC debut not too long ago. However, he has since won five straight fights including a dominating finish against Brad Riddell. Fiziev is the favorite, but a comeback story like dos Anjos could be forming right in front of our eyes here.

Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell

Edson Barboza is a 36-year-old fighter that is known for his strong striking ability. This ridiculously strong knockout power has netted him a few of the most memorable fights in UFC history. For example, his victories over Beneil Dariush and Terry Etim are some of the craziest knockouts ever. He will take that striking power against Bryce Mitchell in this fight. Mitchell is nearly a decade younger than Barboza here, and is the complete opposite of him. Instead of preferring to stand up and trade punches, Mitchell is an intense grappler that likes to head to the ground more often than not. Each of these fighters have been on totally different paths up to this point and have different fighting styles. However, both of them are easily considered world-class fighters in the featherweight division. A win for Barboza here could wipe the memory of a tough loss to Giga Chikadze in his last fight. A win for Mitchell could potentially throw him all the way into contender conversation.